The new headquarters of ČSOB will be built by the company HOCHTIEF CZ

One of the greenest buildings in the Czech Republic designed for Československá obchodní banka (ČSOB) will be built by HOCHTIEF CZ. The construction company won in the tender procedure of a private investor on extension of the existing headquarters’ building in Prague on the Radlická Street. The construction of the building where 1.400 employees of the bank will find their workplace will take about three years.

A new complex which will also be used by subsidiaries of ČSOB and as a training centre is designed by architectural studio Chalupa Architekti. The building that has four aboveground storeys will be partially embedded into the slope and the roof will be covered with vegetation. The construction itself will begin after receiving all necessary permits. Preparation for the construction is already underway.

ČSOB has chosen the company HOCHTIEF CZ not only on the basis of economic criteria. “We were also looking for a partner that has experience in project preparation and construction itself,” assesses the result Zora Křičková, Executive Director of the department Facilities Management ČSOB. “We appreciate a lot that we can implement such an interesting contract for a private investor and thus capitalize on our experience. We have recently completed a similar type of building for example in Ostrava where we have built the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. In a year from now, we will have finished another architectural gem – Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics in Prague, Dejvice,” the Chairman of the Executive Board of the company HOCHTIEF CZ Ing. Tomáš Bílek is looking forward to the cooperation.

The ambitious building will seek to obtain LEED Platinum certification, which the building should receive within half a year from completion of the construction. One of the key requirements of ČSOB was in fact low energy demands. The bank will use pumping of geothermal energy from boreholes and a ground heat exchanger which together with recovery and accumulation of heat and cold in daily and seasonal run will enable significant reduction of dependence on the external energy sources (e.g. gas). The building is designed as soffit-free; the floor slab itself will be used for accumulation and heating/cooling the space. It also envisages use of the now fairly conventional energy-saving light sources LED and at the garages, there will be the chargers for electric vehicles.

The original and the new building will be connected to each other. Just like in the original headquarters building, also in the new one there will be plenty of green areas inside. The office spaces will consist both of open plan and closed rooms.